Tropical African Inland Waters 3

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Tropical African Inland Waters 3 A brief history of the scientific study of tropical African inland waters Item Type article Authors Talling, Jack Download date 06/10/2021 16:06:49 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/22213 TROPICAL AFRICAN INLAND WATERS 3 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF TROPICAL AFRICAN INLAND WATERS JACK TALLING Dr J.F. Talling, Freshwater Biological Association, Far Sawrey, Ambleside, Cumbria LA22 0LP, UK Introduction The inland waters of Africa, and especially its large rivers, determined much of the original geographical exploration of the continent. Subsequently, their scientific study has contributed to the science of inland waters in general and of tropical inland waters in particular. The history of this tropical study is outlined below. It draws upon personal experience in several African universities and a research institute, vivid impressions of aquatic habitats and communities within African landscapes, and a desire to move from individual descriptions to wider comparisons and the underlying fundamentals. In any history of scientific endeavour in Africa, the human factor deserves special attention. In colonial times much science, like trade, followed the flag. In Africa, unlike South America, this phase extended over – and benefited from – a period of rapid growth in freshwater science. Later, after the 1950s and widespread political independence, the science continued from both pre-established and new institutions – mainly universities and fishery institutes. These gave new opportunities to indigenous staff, and often hosted relatively brief expeditions from abroad. International and inter-governmental projects grew in importance. They were planned with regard to perceived needs, technical and socio- economic, of a region; but they could also enrich fundamental insights within the subject. The wide coverage has necessarily involved the exclusion of detail on the contributions of individuals, although examples appear in the numerous references. In this I follow the pattern adopted in a history of British contributions to freshwater science244. The situation in 1900 By this date the disposition of the main rivers and lakes (Fig. 1) was reasonably well known. It was evident that most of the rivers had a strongly variable – indeed rhythmic – discharge, linked to the alternation of rainy and dry seasons. That of the Nile had been followed, by water level in Egypt, from ancient times; the crucial connection of its floodwater to © The Freshwater Biological Association 2006 Freshwater Forum 26 (2006), 3–37 4 JACK TALLING TROPICAL AFRICAN INLAND WATERS 5 right) ) crustal warping FIG. 1. Map of Africa with named waterbodies (shallow lakes underlined)243. top left rains in Ethiopia was proposed in 1668 by the Jesuit Father Lobo236. Lakes (Fig. 2) were numerous, some very large and influenced by large-scale tectonic events like crustal warping (e.g. Victoria, Chad) and rifting (e.g. ( ) rifting – Lake Albert; Tanganyika). Systems of both open and closed drainage were involved, Ethiopia. Lake Aranguadi, with a corresponding wide range of water salinity. Only in a few cases were there analyses of the chemical composition, such as that obtained by Henry Wellcome – subsequently an influential figure in tropical medicine bottom left – for a salt lake in western Uganda207. A beginning had been made towards assessment of aquatic faunas and floras. Most collections were sporadic, as of an early sample of algae from 57 Lake Nyasa . Near the end of the century there were two examples of more sustained enquiry. The aquatic fauna of Lake Tanganyika had – Lake Victoria; ( Victoria; – Lake volcanic explosion crater – attracted attention by the presence of endemics and the resemblance of lakes of varied origin: ( FIG. 2. African some species – especially thick-shelled molluscs – to marine forms. This Freshwater Forum 26 (2006) Freshwater Forum 26 (2006) 6 JACK TALLING TROPICAL AFRICAN INLAND WATERS 7 was taken by Moore as evidence of a direct marine origin for the lake, 192 leading to his expeditions of 1895 and 1898 and subsequent book that suggested derivation from a Jurassic sea. The second example concerned the water-mass and plankton of Lake Nyasa (later Malawi), investigated during a German expedition of 1899–1900. Using a simple sampler, the expedition laboriously discovered the first thermocline to be described from a tropical lake82. Net-samples of plankton, gathered throughout 1899 and later examined by Schmidle, were used to construct a first rudimentary 234 account of the seasonal changes of phytoplankton in a tropical lake . The period 1900–1925 This period saw some notable acquisitions of information regarding aquatic environments and their biota, although integrated ecological science had not yet arrived. The vertical configurations (bathymetry) of various large lakes, including Victoria and Tanganyika (Fig. 1), were mapped and found to range widely. The work of Stappers in 1911–13 on 237 L. Tanganyika disclosed a considerable volume of water at depths exceeding 1000 m. Vertical relationships were also important in the regulation of flow in rivers. Thus a ‘stepped’ longitudinal section of the 167 Nile included Lake Plateau, Rift Valley, savanna, Sudd swamp and desert cataracts (examples in Fig. 3). Various expeditions and their collections made somewhat disconnected contributions to aquatic science. Examples relating to water chemistry are cited by Talling & Talling246 and others to freshwater algae by Brook et al.30. Zoological work is exemplified by the plankton collections examined by Daday48 from Lake Victoria. There was the remarkable discovery of aquatic animals from within the Sahara212. Three examples of more sustained and systematic study are of note. Shortly after 1900 the Wellcome Laboratories were set up at Khartoum in 10 FIG. 3. Dissimilar river sectors down the Gordon Memorial College; from them Beam made chemical analyses the Nile: (top left) savanna, southern over several years of water from the Blue and White Niles that Sudan; (bottom left) desert cataract, demonstrated considerable seasonal and longitudinal changes. Collections Nubia; (above right) floodplain swamps (‘Sudd’). of fishes from the Congo basin and the Nile were available in Europe and 26, used by Boulenger to produce major monographs on the two fish faunas 27. Lastly, the controversial ‘Tanganyika Problem’ of Moore was tested further by the expedition of Cunnington (1904–05). From its collections and with the cooperation of many group-specialists, Cunnington assembled a ‘comparative limnology’47 and rejected the original hypothesis of a direct marine origin – already doubted from other work on the gastropod molluscs213. Freshwater Forum 26 (2006) Freshwater Forum 26 (2006) 8 JACK TALLING TROPICAL AFRICAN INLAND WATERS 9 The beginnings of integrated ecology: the years 1925–1945 differences that were dominated by a wide range of titration alkalinity due to bicarbonate and carbonate130. The biota were often very dense, and The following 20 years were a period of advancing colonial administration involved a carbon flow that Jenkin investigated by experiments on in many African territories, in which research was stimulated by economic photosynthesis in situ (adapted from the then recent work of Marshall and and social issues. Two major areas were hydrology and fisheries. The Orr in Scotland) and observations on the filter-feeding mechanism of former involved estimation of water budgets and the flow gauging of many flamingos131. A second and larger Cambridge expedition, in 1930–31, was rivers. One was the Nile, on which the original Aswan Dam (Fig. 4) was led by Worthington – clearly enthused by his earlier African experience on created, and for which Hurst and his associates in the Physical Department lakes Victoria and Albert. It too dealt comparatively with a range of lakes, of the Ministry of Public Works at Cairo gathered information from and with communities from phytoplankton to fishes. One participant, sources to delta in a series of hydrological monographs The Nile Basin 124 Beadle, provided a wide range of information on water chemistry and (e.g. ). The broad picture for the Nile was later summarised in a more 6 123 functional relationships which included photosynthesis-depth distribution popular book by Hurst , and for the hydrology of tropical Africa in 5 271 2 and ecology of swamp invertebrates . Besides zooplankton studies , general by Balek . Worthington took up the comparative faunistics and biology of the fish Initiatives that concerned inland fisheries had a greater influence on the communities, and subsequently suggested interpretations of their development of aquatic ecology. The most significant began with the 269 92 evolutionary differentiation in Africa – a topic that later attracted many fisheries survey of Lake Victoria by Graham and Worthington in 1927– biologists76, 79, 95, 218. Post-expedition he was helped in the assessment of 28. This extended beyond fish faunistics, distribution and abundance to zooplankton abundance by a student, Kate Ricardo271, who later was to problems of changing thermal stratification267 and day-night (diel) vertical 268 contribute in the field with investigation of fish communities in several migration of zooplankton . All these subjects were taken up further in large rift-lakes of Central Africa18, 224. work on the nearby Lake Albert. The investigation of diel change in Until the 1930s there was but little knowledge of physical and chemical Victoria was the first such work for tropical fresh
Recommended publications
  • George Loft Papers
    http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt6b69r101 No online items Inventory of the George Loft papers Finding aid prepared by Hoover Institution Library and Archives Staff Hoover Institution Library and Archives © 2007 434 Galvez Mall Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305-6003 [email protected] URL: http://www.hoover.org/library-and-archives Inventory of the George Loft 2006C21 1 papers Title: George Loft papers Date (inclusive): 1957-1989 Collection Number: 2006C21 Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives Language of Material: English Physical Description: 11 manuscript boxes(4.4 Linear Feet) Abstract: Correspondence, memoranda, reports, interview summaries, printed matter, and photographs, relating to American Friends Service Committee activities in Africa, especially relating to housing in Zambia; international development projects in Africa; and political and social conditions in Zambia, Zimbabwe and elsewhere in Africa. Creator: Loft, George Hoover Institution Library & Archives Access The collection is open for research; materials must be requested at least two business days in advance of intended use. Publication Rights For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives. Acquisition Information Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 2005. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], George Loft Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives. 1915 Born, New York City January 27 1931 Graduated, High School of Commerce, New York 1932-1942 Assistant to Economist, National Dairy Products Corporation, New York 1938 Graduated, Bachelor's degree in Accounting, New York University 1940 Completed Master of Business Administration, New York University 1942 Married Eleanor Riddle 1942-1945 Chief of Subsistence Requirements Section, Military Planning Division, Office of the Quartermaster General, Washington, D.C.
    [Show full text]
  • National Identity and Post-Colonial Development: Dictatorial Zimbabwe and Democratic Republic of South Africa Master's Thesis
    National Identity and Post-Colonial Development: Dictatorial Zimbabwe and Democratic Republic of South Africa Master’s Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Brandeis University Department of Global Studies Chandler Rosenberger, Advisor Jasmine Waddell, Advisor Richard Parmentier, Chairman In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Master’s Degree By Andrea Cohen August, 2011 Copyright by Andrea Cohen © 2011 Dedication I would like to dedicate this piece of work to my parents, Fran and Les Cohen. Their hard work and endless support has allowed me to take up any opportunity that comes my way, including my desire to earn a Master’s degree. My Dad has shown me through example the importance of a strong work ethic. His quotes comparing hard work to sports always hang above my desk. Both my parent’s high regard for the needs of others has in part inspired me with a passion to better the lives of those who live in poverty, fear and oppression. I am eternally grateful for their enduring love, guidance, support. Acknowledgements I would like to thank my graduate advisers for their role in my education and for their guidance and support throughout the process. Professors Jasmine Waddell and Chandler Rosenberger’s intellect always inspired me to keep learning, think harder, and dig deeper. I cannot possibly thank Professor Waddell enough for her enduring support throughout the writing process. Each conversation with her left me feeling renewed, validated, and ready to tackle the challenge ahead. Professor Rosenberger always pushed me to achieve the perfection he knew I was capable of, and for that I am thankful to him.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report of the Colonies, Northern Rhodesia, 1931
    COLONIAL REPORTS-ANNUAL No. 1592 ANNUAL REPORT ON THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROGRESS OF THE PEOPLE OF NORTHERN RHODESIA, (For Reports for 7929 and 1930 see Nos. 1516 and 1561, respectively, Price 2s. od. each). Crown Copyright Reserved LONDON PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE To be purchased directly from H.M. STATIONERY OFFICE at the following addresses Adastral House, Kingsway, London, W.C.a; iao, Gecrge Stiect, Edinburgh a York Street, Manchester; i, St. Andrew's Crescent, Cardiff 15, Donegall Square West, Belfast or through any Bookseller 1932 Price 2s. od. Net 58-I592 ANNUAL REPORT ON THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROGRESS OF THE PEOPLE OF NORTHERN RHODESIA, 1931 CONTENTS. Chapter Page- I.—GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE, AND HISTORY 2 IT. •—GOVERNMENT ... 6 IH.™POPULATION ... ... 7 IV—HEALTH 8 V.—HOUSING 10 VI.—PRODUCTION ... ... 12 VII.—COMMERCE 23 VIII.—WAGES AND COST OF LrvrNG 27 IX.—EDUCATION AND WELFARE INSTITUTIONS ... 29 X .—COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT ... ., 31 XI— BANKING, CURRENCY, AND WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ... 30 XII.—PUBLIC WORKS 37 XIII.—JUSTICE, POLICE, AND PRISONS 38 XIV.—LEGISLATION 40 XV—PUBLIC FINANCE AND TAXATION 46 MAP CHAPTER I. GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE, AND HISTORY. Geography, The territory known as the Protectorate of Northern Rhodesia lies between longitudes 22° E. and 33° 33' E. and between latitudes 8° 15' S. and 18° S. It is bounded on the west by Angola, on the north-west by the Belgian Congo, on the north-east by Tanganyika Territory, on the east by the Nyasaland Protectorate and Portuguese East Africa, and on the south by Southern Rhodesia and the man­ dated territory of South-West Africa, comprising in all an area that is computed to be about 288,400 square miles.
    [Show full text]
  • Northern Rhodesia: the Post-War Background, 1945–1953
    2 Northern Rhodesia: The Post-War Background, 1945–1953 Andrew D. Roberts It is many years since I said anything new about the colonial history of Zambia, so I was flattered to be invited to contribute to this collection as well as to the conference on which it is based. There seemed to be two ways in which I could try to be useful. I shall sketch the background to Northern Rhodesia in the 1950s, by way of providing a context for the research papers which follow. And along the way I shall take note of themes and topics which still call for study, despite the recent revival of interest in late-colonial Zambia. Let us begin with the copper industry, which for a century has been so impor- tant a factor in Zambia’s history.1 We must recognise that it only began to prosper in 1949. During the last two years of World War II the mines were badly run down: existing workings were yielding diminishing grades of ore, and large-scale development was needed to gain access to ores of a quality which would – as in 1 A.D. Roberts, ‘Notes towards a financial history of copper mining in Northern Rhodesia’, Canadian Journal of African Studies, 16 (1982); L.J. Butler, Copper empire: Mining and the colonial state in Northern Rhodesia, c.1930–1964 (Basingstoke, 2007). 16 andrew d. roberts the later 1930s – compensate for the high costs of transport. Hence, from 1945 to 1949 the Rhodesian Selection Trust, which dominated two of the four operating mines, paid no dividends: it devoted net profits to mining development.
    [Show full text]
  • Collapse of Rhodesia: Society in Nigeria Population Demographics and the Usmana.Tar Politics of Race 978 1 84511 656 9 Josiah Brownell 978 1 84885 475 8 23
    Josiah Brownell received his Ph.D. from the School of Oriental and African Studies in 2009, and has a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. His research focuses on African history, comparative settler colonialism, and the end of the British Empire. P1: PHB Trim: 138mm × 216mm Top: 1in Gutter: 1in IBBK042-01 IBBK042-Serieslist-Demis ISBN: 978 1 84885 217 4 August 13, 2010 17:24 INTERNATIONAL LIBRARY OF AFRICAN STUDIES Series ISBN: 978 1 84885 217 4 See www.ibtauris.com/ILAS for a full list of titles 18. Mineworkers in Zambia: Labour 25. African Women and Apartheid: and Political Change in Post-Colonial Migration and Settlement in Urban Africa South Africa Miles Larmer Rebekah Lee 978 1 84511 299 8 978 1 84511 819 8 19. Reconstructing the Nation in 26. Islam’s Perfect Stranger: The Life Africa: The Politics of Nationalism in of Mahmud Muhammad Taha, Ghana Muslim Reformer of Sudan Michael Amoah Edward Thomas 978 1 84511 259 2 978 1 84885 004 0 20. Revolt and Protest: Student 27. The Governance of Water and Politics and Activism in Sub-Saharan Sanitation in Africa: Achieving Africa Sustainable Development through Leo Zeilig Partnerships 978 1 84511 476 3 Tim Gray and Amy Stewart 978 1 84885 027 9 22. The Politics of Neoliberal Democracy in Africa: State and Civil 28. The Collapse of Rhodesia: Society in Nigeria Population Demographics and the UsmanA.Tar Politics of Race 978 1 84511 656 9 Josiah Brownell 978 1 84885 475 8 23. Afrikaners in the New South Africa: Identity Politics in a 29.
    [Show full text]
  • Vol. 16: Zimbabwe Sub-Saharan Report
    Marubeni Research Institute 2016/09/02 Sub -Saharan Report Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the focal regions of Global Challenge 2015. These reports are by Mr. Kenshi Tsunemine, an expatriate employee working in Johannesburg with a view across the region. Vol. 16: Zimbabwe November 12, 2015 “The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe officially abolished the Zimbabwe dollar with a redemption rate of 35 quadrillion Zimbabwe dollars to 1 U.S. dollar.” Some of you may have heard this surprising news around the beginning of June (note 1). Now with 30.5101 billion (30,510,100,000) Zimbabwe dollars I have thought I was a billionaire, but now rue this day ever coming (picture 1) (note 2) . It is this deeply impressionable, but hyper-inflated country Zimbabwe that I will introduce this time. Picture 1: Zimbabwe notes worth 30,510,100,000 Zimbabwe dollars Table 1: Zimbabwe Country Information Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in southern Africa surrounded by Zambia in the north, Mozambique in the east, South Africa in the south and Botswana on its western border. Although its land size is about the same as Japan’s, its population is only one-tenth that of Japan’s and its nominal GDP only one three hundred sixtieth that of Japan’s (table 1). Zimbabwe has a temperate climate with a summer rainy season. The capital of Harare is located at 1,500 meters above sea level with low temperatures of around 7 degrees centigrade in the winter and highs of up to 30 degrees or more in the summer months.
    [Show full text]
  • Teachers' Notes Empire and Commonwealth: East
    TEACHERS’ NOTES EMPIRE AND COMMONWEALTH: EAST AFRICAN CAMPAIGN, 1917 3 August 1914 – November 1918 Background • In 1914 Germany possessed four colonies in sub-SaHaran Africa. THese were Togoland, Kamerun, SoutH-West Africa (now Namibia), and East Africa (now Tanzania). • Capturing Germany’s colonies was an important part of tHe general strategy to starve Germany, and dry up its supplies of fuel and ammunition. By cutting Germany off from all external support, it was speed up tHe process. • Togoland was tHe first German territory captured during tHe war, falling into Allied Hands on 26 August 1914. • British, SoutH African and Portuguese troops captured German SoutH West Africa by July 1915, and British, Nigerian, Indian, French, French Colonial, Belgian and Belgian Colonial forces Had taken Kamerun by March 1916. • WitH most of Germany’s Pacific and Asian colonies also Having fallen to Australian, New Zealand and Japanese troops, the German East Africa colony became tHe last un-captured part of tHe German Colonial Empire TEACHERS’ NOTES from mid-1916 – in fact, it was tHe only part of tHe German Empire to remain undefeated for tHe wHole war. • Lt Col Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck took command of tHe German military forces, determined to tie down as many British resources as possible. His force was mainly comprised of tHe Schutztruppe (Protection Force), an African colonial armed force of local native Askari soldiers commanded by German officers. • THe Askaris were incredibly loyal and very few deserted despite tHe Hardships of tHe campaign. • Completely cut off from Germany and all external supplies, von Lettow conducted an effective guerrilla warfare campaign, living off tHe land, capturing British supplies, and remaining undefeated – a tHree and a Half year game of cat and mouse, wHich He can be considered to Have won.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study Guide by Marguerite O'hara
    © ATOM 2013 A STUDY GUIDE BY MARGUERITE O’HARA http://www.metromagazine.com.au ISBN: 978-1-74295-344-1 http://www.theeducationshop.com.au Historians can tell lies. Overview Their sins are the sins of Once My Mother (2013) is a documentary film by omission. They choose filmmaker Sophia Turkiewicz about her struggle to what to put in, what to leave reconcile with her refugee mother for abandoning her in out. When I go searching an orphanage as a child. The story takes in the sweep of their two lives, beginning with her mother, Helen, born in for your story in the history Poland in the early 1920’s, and covering her epic journey books, the chapter on your from a Siberian gulag to Uzbekistan, Persia and Africa story is missing. before finally finding safety in Australia with her young daughter, Sophia. It is a story of survival and forgiveness. Sophia Turkiewicz The story raises a number of interesting questions about the nature of memoir and biography, about how we tell stories, about memory and forgetting, about knowing some things but not others. In telling her mother Helen’s story, Sophia is also telling us her story. An experienced filmmaker, Sophia draws on a number of sources to tell this story about her relationship with her mother, including 2013 © ATOM SCREEN EDUCATION conversations and interviews with her mother. 2 Did she ever truly know this woman who became her mother? Does she have it in her heart to forgive her? And is it too late? As Sophia re-examines her mother’s life, she discovers the Synopsis historical truth behind Helen’s deportation to a Siberian gulag.
    [Show full text]
  • THE WHITE HOUSE and WHITE AFRICA: PRESIDENTIAL POLICY on RHODESIA 1965-79 By
    THE WHITE HOUSE AND WHITE AFRICA: PRESIDENTIAL POLICY ON RHODESIA 1965-79 by EDWARD R. MICHEL A thesis submitted to the University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department of History and Cultures College of Arts and Law University of Birmingham April 2016 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT My thesis offers an examination of U.S. policy towards Rhodesia as viewed through the lens of the respective Presidential administrations. The aim of my research is to demonstrate the changing American perspective on the Rhodesian question and how this directly affected the ultimate emergence of an independent Zimbabwe. I discuss the transformation in U.S. policy from the cautious approach of the Johnson White House, the shift towards ‘white Africa’ during the Nixon years as anti-communism and economic interests took centre stage and the subsequent attempt of the Ford Administration to achieve a peace settlement to prevent further communist expansion into southern Africa. Finally, I will analyse the critical role played by President Carter in bringing an end to UDI.
    [Show full text]
  • Power Ethnicized: the Pursuit of Protection and Participation in Rwanda and Burundi
    Buffalo Journal of International Law Volume 2 Number 1 Article 2 4-1-1995 Power Ethnicized: The Pursuit of Protection and Participation in Rwanda and Burundi Linda Maguire The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/bjil Part of the Human Rights Law Commons, and the Law and Race Commons Recommended Citation Maguire, Linda (1995) "Power Ethnicized: The Pursuit of Protection and Participation in Rwanda and Burundi," Buffalo Journal of International Law: Vol. 2 : No. 1 , Article 2. Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.buffalo.edu/bjil/vol2/iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. It has been accepted for inclusion in Buffalo Journal of International Law by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ University at Buffalo School of Law. For more information, please contact [email protected]. POWER ETHINICIZED: THE PURSUIT OF PROTECTION AND PARTICIPATION IN RWANDA AND BURUNDI Linda Maguire* The Hutu-Tutsi conflict is a relatively recentphenomenon ... not composed of ancestralhatreds and supposedsupremacy, but of modern politics. Ren6 Lemarchand' There's never been any ethnic conflict between the groups on the level of the village. There was no ethnic war before independence. It's the politi- cians who transfertheir politicalconflicts onto the hillsides. If the leaders say nothing then the killings don't happen. Maj. Pierre Buyoya President of Burundi (1987-1993)2 * Editor-in-Chief, 1994-1995, The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University; Master Degree Candidate 1995 at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; B.A.
    [Show full text]
  • RHODESIA TODAY by Aristone M
    EDITOR'S NOTE Our readers will note that with this, number 8 of the South Africa Bulletin, our scope has been widened, to include all of " Southern" Africa-South West Africa, Rhodesia, Angola, Mozambique, Lesotho, Botswana and Swaziland. All of Southern Africa is inextricably linked together, with South Africa as the hard core of white resistance to majority rule. We feel it therefore important to bring our readers, from time to time, information about various of these related areas and news of the African struggle for freedom in those parts of Southern Africa not yet independent. You may recall that Bulletin no. 7 contained an article on South West Africa. In this issue we bring you one on Rhodesia, written especially for us by a Rh9desian, Mr. Aristone M. Chambati. RHODESIA TODAY By Aristone M. Chamhati Observers of the Rhodesian political scene agree that Act became the Magna Carta of the white minority and the current situation has slipped completely out of British the basis of future discriminatory laws. control and into the hands of a white supremacist group The Pass laws were enacted to control and restrict the rivalled only by South Africa in their extremist racial pol­ movement of the African. These required that every Afri­ icies. All efforts to achieve a negotiated political compro­ can male over the age of 16 should carry a pass (chitupa), mise, acceptable to all groups involved in the conflict, to be produced upon demand of a policeman, or suffer have failed and the latest endeavour, mandatory eco­ the penalty. This legislation severely restricts the move­ nomic sanctions by U.N.
    [Show full text]
  • Rhodesia to Zimbabwe a Chronology 1830 to 1976
    Rhodesia To Zimbabwe A Chronology 1830 to 1976 by George M. Houser THE AFRICA FUND (Associated with The American Committee on Africa) 305 E. 46th St. * New York, N.Y. 10017 9 Telephone (212) 838-5030 16-~ 16 0N55 7 MASHONALAND NORTH ~ lae KaS / Namibia ~oo 10 T . .. .0 , o ledell ELsv' MASHONALAND OUTH * MILANDS O~on MATABELELANDNORTH *Redd:LU ANClANU.-*-Kt BOTSWANAFotVcri Rs~o~oyo*/ ~For, V'cto,, '..2 Shobon, LKele 1 VICTORI MATABELELAND SOUTH > MOZAMBIQUE SOUTH AFRICA 28 3 Note Provrnces -.- hove no posthon n requlor strvctvre of governmnft Zimbabwe FROM RHODESIA TO ZIMBABWE A conflict of major proportions is now coming to a head in southern Africa, as Africans struggling for a free Zimbabwe confront a white minority government whose sole aim is to protect the political power and economic privilege of the tiny Rhodesian settler population. The white minority numbers less than 280,000 in a population of over 6 million, but it is a minority determined to maintain its power and privilege as long as possible. History, for the white minority, begins with the aggressive expansionism of Cecil Rhodes. His central role in the work of British colonial occupation at the end of the 19th century is reflected in the naming of both Northern Rhodesia (now independent Zambia) and Southern Rhodesia in his honor. The attitude of most white settlers toward African history prior to white occupation is accurately summed up by the white Rhodesian who told a New York Times reporter: "The African has no past, very little present without white or yellow help, and no future of his own." Rhodesian settlers use this argument to justify the history of white minority rule, to explain the present repression of Africans and to project continued white rule into the future.
    [Show full text]